ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- A bill introduced in the Florida Legislature would allow schools to sell the naming rights for public school cafeterias to
fund schools' food service budgets.

"We actually allow advertising in our common spaces, athletic fields and last year our board added cafeteria," said Joseph Joyner, St. Johns
superintendent.

Joyner said the legislation has a positive approach, but there are concerns.

"You have a captive audience and the effect of advertising... whether the school districts would be endorsing that product - that would give people
pause," he said.

The above statement is what concerns me. The children at the schools are a captive audience. There is more than enough advertising that our children
are exposed to thru television and other media. Are schools the appropriate place for advertising?

The proposal is the brainchild of Florida Rep. Irv Slosberg, a Democrat from Boca Raton. "The bill is not for Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Aunt Jemima
pancakes. The bill is basically for places like Whole Foods, Publix, Fresh Foods and there would be a lot of filters," said Slosberg.

I am no fan of large corporations such as Coca-Cola or McDonalds, but when I have see these products being sold in schools, and vending machines
displaying their advertising, I do not feel that "filtering" works. These products still reach our children via schools.

If the bill becomes law, it goes into effect July 1, and the school districts will have the final say.
"I would be in favor of it as long as it was permissive, meaning that we would have the option to participate or not participate,"said Joyner.

Clay County School District Superintendent Ben Wortham said he is not aware of House Bill 1137 and will wait to see what happens.

Some of the questions I have regarding this are:

What are the effects on children's exposure to advertising in schools?

Are the use of advertising to fund school functions the best way to put money into the school system?

Are small businesses advertising their services or products more acceptable than that of larger coporations?

Instead of using school money to fund things such as sports, should the money be utilized to fund more valuable school functions, thus eliminating the
need for advertising?

Are these laws another conspiracy by our government to control people and the things the feel they need?

Is this just another unneeded law?

I fully understand that our schools are underfunded. Important areas of learning such as art and music are so often not recieving the funding and the
attention that they deserve. Most of the schools that I have seen do use local and national advertising to fund school related functions, but is this
really needed if the money recieved by the school system was used more wisely instead of wasting it on things that are secondary functions of the
schools. Learning is the most important function the school has, and focus needs to be on teaching our children. Do we really need our schools to be
billboards for selling someone's product or services?

They have to do something, right? I mean, every time they need to build a new school or reroof an old one, they have to raise local taxes because all
the goddamn money they ALREADY get disappears into some black hole never to bee seen again.

I say it's time to stop the corruption that's rampant in public education. Someone somewhere is getting rich, and it ain't your kids' minds.

I think the schools need no advertising at all, in fact, if the government even wanted the children to be educated they would be. This is just an
excuse to instill more mind control and consumerism mentalities. If they wanted people to be educated then the American government would spend more
then 6,000$ a year per student and less then 30,000$ a year per prisoner, but alas, this is not the case. IMO, schools are here ensure that we are as
dumb and submissive as possible, I am a young man who has recently experienced the sad joke that is, the American educational system.

school is meant to herd all the sheep into one big mental corral so that they can be systematically brainwashed before they can read and write!

the "smart" kids....grow up to be their puppets in their "gifted" classes. the truly intelligent kids...typically figure out school is a sham in
middle school and end up throwing their middles fingers to the school system well before high school.

Some years back, I was going to school for Secondary Education (before I was disgusted and quickly changed back to Graphics Design), I had to sit in a
few weeks at one of our local high schools. This is when I realised just how much advertising there is in schools today.

I walked into the mail entrance and found a deoderant cuttout by the door. I found a gatoraid cutout not far from that. Looking around, I found
more, and more and more... Nearly 16 advertisements that had nothing to do with school.. This was between me and the principals office.

I asked the science teacher that allowed me to look in on her class, as to why so much advertising was going on. She said, it helped the school cut
back on charging the parents for stuff, gear and what not. I asked her, since I did not notice myself, what real diffrence did it make on school
supplies... She said.. None at all. All of the monies were going to the school to help on sports equipment and band stuffs... I asked her how much
has it gotten the school since it started.... She said, she doesnt recall seeing any new gear. The only thing she's seen out of it was small things
for field trips and such minor things.

So yes.. schools are being infultrated with advertising.. to our KIDS

Apparently the advertising isnt doing all that much in the way of funding the schools
- School supplies are being taken from the parents as always - no cost reduction noticed.
- Sporting equipment not noticed in this specific school
- So far, the only things they have gotten out of it were field trip related and "free goodies" for students.. like more advertising. Free
deoderant.. gatorade..

If the advertising is giving funds to schools.. where is it going? Who is the check written out to?

I think this is one of the biggest scams! Our schools should not be used as advertising firms to suck our clueless kids in... If it starts on a
school level, even as young as kindergarden... what's next? How do we counter this advertising BS that's being forcefed to our children???

Whenever I come on this website, and someone is as awake as you are. It warms my heart man. It really does.

What I can say about these schools, just having finished almost 4 years ago, is that the whole system is just wrong, and worse then seeing all of
these advertisements, and other things, is the effect it has on people.

These people are zombies, they don't just believe anything that's said to them. that's not what matters. It's a matter of HOW MANY times something is
said to them. People will believe, and do believe, the most ridiculous things, purely based on how many times they've heard it.

rationalizing doesn't matter, analyzing or even instincts don't matter, just repeat the same lie over and over, and people will believe it more and
more.

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